Looking back on a year of adventure (2011)

2011 was an adventurous year for our family filled with cross country skiing, hiking, scrambling, mountaineering, camping, backpacking and traveling. We made many new friends throughout the year and tried to spend lots of time on the trails with existing friends as well.  September was a big month where I not only formed my Calgary Family Adventure Community on Face Book but created this blog. I hope you'll enjoy looking back on 2011 with me.

January

The year started off with a bang when I got the opportunity to ski into Skoki Lodge with my husband for a night.  I love Skoki and I really didn't know if I'd ever get to visit the lodge again, having had my right hip replaced in 2009 due to a complication when my son was born.   It is on my top five list of favorite places in Banff National Park and in winter is accessible only by a fairly difficult ski tour.  I'm pretty sure that ski touring isn't on my list of approved activities I am allowed to pursue with my new hip but the smile on my face in this photo below says, I really don't care.

Skiing to Skoki Lodge, Banff National Park

The family that plays together, stays happy together

With Christmas just around the corner, the importance of spending time together as a family weighs heavy on my mind.  With the new year coming and resolutions around the corner to be made, I'd like to share a few of our top family values with you.

Value One:  Saturday is devoted to play

We are very religious about observing our Saturday play day.  I will never take a job where I have to work on Saturday and my husband is serious about not putting in over-time hours on this day.  We go to church Sunday morning but Saturday is our Sabbath day; the day where we don't do anything we have to do.  Chores, cleaning, shopping and errands wait until Sunday afternoon whenever possible or else we try to accomplish these tasks during the week.

Mountain kisses

Value Two:  We make family time a priority on the weekend

I love taking a weekend away with my girlfriends or joining a group of friends for a day of ski touring.  My husband anticipates his next mountaineering trip or back-country ski day.  We also try to get away as a couple at least once or twice a year.  

Those trips aside, weekends are reserved for us to spend time together as a family. We hike together with our toddler, we ski together and pull him in a pulk, we do back-packing trips, and we go camping. 

I can't wait for the day when we are doing glacier traverses, all three of us tied into the same rope and working as a family team to summit a mountain.  It seriously puts goosebumps on my arms and tears in my eyes to think of the fun that awaits us when Noah is old enough to carry a back-pack and join us for some hard-core adventure.

Genuine happiness

Value Three:  We play together

Closely connected to value number two is that we play together and enjoy many of the same sports, hobbies and passions.  I don't want to be a family where mom drops little Jimmy off to play soccer Saturday morning and then runs off to her yoga class while little Jennie is at her dance class and Dad is at home working in the yard.  

We are very blessed as a family that we share the same interests and can bond in our free time doing what we are passionate about.  I deeply hope that my son will grow up loving the mountains too.  So far he loves going skiing and hiking with us as it's all he's ever known.  I don't think he realizes yet that there are different things he could be doing on a Saturday afternoon.

Happy together

Value Four:  We preserve our own unique personalities in the family

My husband is much more hard-core than I am when it comes to mountaineering, skiing or climbing.  I'm a hiker through and through.  Therefore it's important that I encourage him to take a day or weekend away to pursue what he is most passionate about.  

I myself love Zumba and yoga so my husband watches Noah while I take classes in the evening.  I'm sure that Noah will have unique interests and passions as well and it will be important to nurture his talents without forcing him to conform to a family mold. 

Memories to treasure

Just another day in paradise

What are your family values?
What do you enjoy doing together as a family?

Rain, snow, sun, we're always together

Lotsa love

Father and son

Mommy love

The makings of a polar bear kid

If you read my last post you know that we are having a hard time introducing the fun side of winter to our two year old toddler.  You can read that story here: Help, my toddler hates winter! 

We decided to devote this whole weekend to as many different kinds of outdoor fun as we could fit in.  There were some "interesting" moments, a few melt-downs, and plenty of things to still figure out.  However, there were also lots of smiles, giggles and I actually heard the phrase I most love to hear come out of my son's mouth, "Mommy fun!"  

I do believe we have a polar bear kid in the making.

toasty warm and happy

Smiling polar bear kid

X-country skiing

The first thing we tried this weekend was cross country skiing (again).  We tried it a couple weekends ago and our son Noah wasn't a fan despite enjoying it last winter.  I should clarify that Noah doesn't ski himself yet but he's always loved being outdoors either in his Chariot or his child carrier.  

We've gotten a new ski sled for this winter that will hopefully allow us to get into the backcountry more. Getting him into the pulk and comfortable was actually a lot easier this time around.  We brought a couple pillows to prop him up with and we didn't fully strap him in due to the easy terrain we were skiing on.  

Noah was quite happy and content for a good hour and a half as we made our way slowly up to the half-way point on the Cascade Fire Road. The only difficult part of the first half of our ski trip was getting Noah dressed in the parking lot.  We learned that it's best to change into ski pants before leaving the city.  (Although, it would make for a more difficult diaper change at the trail head.)  Dilemma dilemma.  

We also decided that in following with the saying, "if it aint broke, don't fix it," we'd let Noah wear what he wanted; his baby mittens and monkey hat.  They might not have been as warm as other choices but he was much happier and that counts for a lot!  I did manage to get a balaclava on under the monkey hat and a scarf on over-top.

When we got to the half-way point of the ski trip we let Noah out of his pulk and he happily explored the packed trail, had a snack and drank a bit of juice.  We got tons of super cute photos and Noah was beyond content!  Taking the mittens off for the snack resulted in cold hands though and we had a nasty twenty minutes or so while Noah got used to skiing again with the cover over his pulk this time.  

I also put my over-mitts on top of his little baby mittens and that wasn't on Noah's top ten list of acceptable clothing options.  It didn't take long before Noah must have realized that he was really toasty warm and therefore quite happy.  The crying stopped and he promptly fell asleep.  Bliss!

Rest stop

Pulling the pulk back to the car

Outdoor Christmas festivities

After skiing we went to Banff for their  Winterstart Festival.  Noah got to take his first horse drawn wagon ride up and down the streets of Banff.  The smile on his face was worth the 45 min. wait.  Then we got to watch the Santa Claus Parade.  Noah sat high up on top of Daddy's shoulders as he waited for Santa to appear and he enjoyed the parade for the most part.  He was a little scared by the truck horns though and so we eventually had to leave and brave our way back to Calgary (and the snow storm that hadn't hit Banff yet.)

Waiting for Santa

Sledding

Today we thought we'd give sledding a shot since Calgary got over 25cm of fresh snow overnight.  Our neighborhood was transformed into a magical winter wonderland.  It actually took a lot of effort to pull Noah in his sled to the local playground.  

Unfortunately Noah wasn't a big fan of riding in the sled and didn't like the sensation of tipping sideways or falling backwards as the sled jerked and twisted around.  We did get him to try riding in the sled down the little bunny hill in the school yard and he proclaimed that it was fun.  Yay!  

After two rides though he decided it was more fun to watch Mommy slide down the hill while he walked up and down the snowy hill.  Maybe mountaineering is in his future and not becoming a bobsled or luge athlete. 

Going to the park on a snowy Sunday afternoon

Wee!

Playing in the snow

After sledding we walked through the big field to the playground and discovered that Noah likes walking through snow.  Deep snow.  He wouldn't get on the sled because he wanted to wade through all the snow "by self."  

We taught him to hold his shovel with his mittens on - victory!! and he enjoyed playing in the snow for a bit as he filled his sand bucket with snow.  As I discovered last summer, a toddler only needs a bucket, a shovel and a small truck or car to play with.  They can be used with sand, water, snow, dirt, pine needles, or mud.  No other toys needed.

Playing in the snow

Tonight my husband plans to take Noah into the hot tub while I'm out with girl friends.  That is another classic winter activity that I know he'll love!

Nice and warm

I realized how incredibly blessed we are as a family this weekend.  We have a very gentle and calm child who allowed us to ski for almost three hours.  Not many parents of toddlers can claim that.  Noah is also great at just going with the flow and can be gone from the house all day with no set schedule. 

We were gone Saturday from morning until almost bed time and Noah never truly lost it.  He napped in the car en route to the mountains and then again in his pulk.  I know many families that have to plan their day around their child's nap schedule or make sure they spend enough time at home but Noah loves being out exploring the world.  We are very lucky.

I'm also really enjoying this Christmas season and the beginning of winter as a family.  I can't remember the last time I rode down a toboggan hill, made a snow angel, tried to make a snow man, or just played in the snow.  Having kids lets you experience the joys of being a kid again and I love it!

The joys of childhood

Help, my toddler hates winter

My husband and I passionately love winter!!  We want to be out playing in the snow every weekend.  As soon as I put my x-country skis on for the first time of the season I'm practically shaking to get out every day.  We are nothing if not enthusiastic about it and are trying our hardest to set an example for our son that winter is something to be enjoyed and embraced with excitement. 


Safe, happy and warm in the chariot last winter.  Sound asleep and blissfully content.

My son was ok with winter last year too.  He happily rode along in his chariot on our ski trips, got back into the chariot after it tipped over and trusted us to continue pulling him.  He loved riding around the skating rink and though we only tried it once, he was ok with sledding.  He liked to walk in the snow and he rarely complained about the clothing he had to wear in order to stay warm.  We have photos of him sound asleep in his chariot while skiing, not concerned with the cold temperatures in the slightest.  We thought we had a happy snow baby on our hands. 

Things started out well this year with our first winter hike back in October.  Our son was enthusiastic about walking through Sundance Canyon in the new snow.  We did some other hikes too and he didn't complain about the wind, cooler temperatures, or his clothing for the most part.  Mittens were a bit of a battle but otherwise, it was clear sailing.  I wasn't even sure our son would remember his first skate of the season because he was blissfully sleeping for most of it.

True winter hit us in November with temperatures down to -20 C in the mountains and our last two outings have shown us that although our son liked the shoulder season from October to November, he might not be as terribly fond of winter itself.

In particular, there are several things our son hates about winter:

The beloved monkey hat

Bulky Clothing

Our son Noah likes his fleece bunting suit that amazingly enough still fits him, his light puffy North Face jacket, his red baby mittens that barely fit him anymore and his monkey toque.

Noah does not like his one piece insulated snow suit, any other hats or mittens (and we've tried many!!),  his balaclava, his scarf, and his winter boots. He will however wear his hiking boots that are so small and tight on him I can't imagine them being comfortable.  It's all about habit though with our son and he does not like new things.

The scarf wasn't so bad last winter nor was the Toaster suit

Walking in snow

Noah was delighted with the snow we had on earlier hikes this season and enjoyed walking through it.   Last weekend we went snowshoeing and we thought Noah would have a great time playing at the lake when we stopped for lunch.  It was a very short hike to the lake and Noah still loves to be carried in his backpack so it seemed like a no-brainer for a fun day.  

Noah had no interest though in playing in the snow.  He wouldn't walk or stand in it, and all he wanted was to get back in his carrier and in the car again as fast as possible.  We are fairly hardcore with our sports and if Noah doesn't want to play but would rather just come along for a ride while we ski or snowshoe, I won't complain.  I do think it's important though that Noah learn to like snow.  We want to get him his own x-country skis for Christmas and we want to go sledding.  We even thought about getting him toddler snow shoes.

Cross-country skiing last winter with Daddy

Walking on ice or slippery surfaces

Getting Noah to walk across a parking lot that may have slippery sections means guaranteed whining and crying.  I'm not sure if he's terrified of falling or if he just doesn't like the sensation of sliding.  We hope he learns that controlled ice is fun though because I love skating and already have skates wrapped up for him for Christmas along with two books about winter.  I am looking forward to holding his hand and pulling him around the lagoon near our house.  If I were a kid I know I'd love to be pulled around a frozen lake while holding onto Mommy and Daddy's hands.

Last winter's introduction to sledding

Wind and Snow in general

Every time I open the garage door after a fresh dump of snow Noah starts crying.  His favorite saying these days is "all done!"  He especially dislikes wind and blowing snow.  Most kids are at least happy in their ski sled or chariot with the cover over them on windy days (of which Calgary gets a lot!) but not Noah.  He hasn't let us cover him in his chariot since he was a baby.  He wants to sit up and look around which causes the cover to rest on his face.  If he's sleeping we can sneak the cover over him but that would be the only time.  We hope that he'll like his new ski sled better and let us cover him in it because the cover is more transparent. 

Sleigh ride on Christmas Day last year

Doing anything with mittens on

Noah seems to think his hands are broken when he is wearing mittens.  He won't hold a snack, a juice bottle, a shovel, a toy, or even play at the playground.  He will ask for his mittens when his hands get cold so we have slight victory there but he won't do anything with them on.  This is problematic when we are outside hiking, skiing or skating.  

The five minutes our son was happy snowshoeing last weekend (notice the absence of his mittens)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on how to deal with some of the frustrations we are having.  We can't be faulted with not trying to set a good example for our son or of not being enthusiastic enough about winter in front of him.  I all but sing and dance when I'm out getting groceries to cheer him up about the snow.  Actually, I do sing.  The only thing I don't do is dance.  Maybe that's what's missing.  A Zumba routine to the tune of Frosty the Snowman?

Want to read about our success teaching our son to embrace winter?

Keep reading here: The Makings of a Polar Bear Kid